Chapter 8 The Beast Within

Kayla “How dare you make all these decisions without my consent?” I snarled, furious. Nicholas simply chuckled and approached me, lifting his hand as if to tilt my chin upward, but I dodged him, stepping back just enough to evade his touch. “Answer me.” He paused, clearly surprised, but then shrugged one shoulder. “Forgive my impulsiveness,” he said with a faint smirk. “I learned it from a pesky woman who jumped into my car wearing a wedding dress and bossed me around like she was the queen.” “Your memory is pretty good,” I retorted with a huff. “But you still haven’t answered my question.” He raised an eyebrow. “Look, I know you’re not thrilled that I just sprang that all on you, but you and I both know that this partnership is… mutually beneficial.” He gestured between us. “You’ve become my Luna, which means I owe you three favors. Whatever you want will be yours. Ask for the moon, and I’ll try to pluck it from the sky.” I let out a small scoff. “How long did you rehearse that little line, Romeo?” Nicholas simply shrugged his shoulder again and waited for my response. I met his gaze steadily, not even hesitating. “Fine. One: I want you to become the acting Alpha of Bluemoon Pack.” I paused, then added firmly, “Two: you can never become the true Alpha of Bluemoon. And three: you can never command my warriors.” Nicholas tilted his head, considering my words. “That’s three. You listed three demands at once.” “Yes,” I replied, again without hesitation. He leaned against the doorframe, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Aren’t you going to ask for something for yourself? Expensive clothes? A fancy car? Endless shopping trips?” “No,” I said flatly, honestly disgusted that he would even suggest such a thing, like I was some insipid little trophy wife. “My pack is the most important thing to me.” He sighed softly. “But that’s a total loss for me, you realize. If I have no control over my wife’s pack, then what sort of Alpha would I be?” “An Alpha who desperately needed a Luna less than an hour ago,” I shot back. “And let’s not forget that you picked me out of the crowd when literally any other woman would have happily said yes.” Nicholas studied me intently, his eyes seeming to flicker back and forth between annoyance and amusement. “Very well. I will honor these three stipulations,” he said after a moment. “And I will protect your pack, so that makes four.” I finally allowed myself a small breath of relief. “Good.” “But I want to add one condition, since you’re getting four things out of this deal now,” he continued, taking a step closer. “Not only do you have to be my Luna, but you also have to play the perfect couple with me for every public appearance we make. Hold my hand, kiss my cheek, dance with me. That sort of thing.” I frowned at the thought of that. The perfect couple was once my vision of life after marriage with Liam—one house, two dogs, three kids... But all of that shattered like glass hitting the floor. This would be nothing but playacting, and I’d lost my ability to have that peaceful, loving life with someone. Still, for the sake of my pack, I nodded slowly. “Fine. I agree to your condition.” But I couldn’t help adding, “But I ask that once my wolf appears, or my father wakes up, or I give birth to an heir with a wolf—whichever happens first—our relationship should end.” At that, Nicholas’s eyes flashed. “I’ll be the one to decide when it ends,” he growled. I bristled at his audacity. Flames of anger ignited in my eyes. “Excuse me?” He stepped closer, the space between us shrinking. The smell of his cologne made my knees weak. My body felt like it was on fire beneath that smoldering gaze, like the barest glance he gave me was enough to set every sinew ablaze. “On this, I will not waver,” he murmured, his voice low and smooth. “But if you live with me, perhaps I will consider letting you go when—or if—one of these things happens.” My eyebrows shot up. “Live with you?” I blurted out. Unbidden, thoughts of sharing a house with him—maybe even a bed with him—flitted through my mind. The very notion made my heart start racing. “Say yes,” he insisted, rather like an insolent little boy who wanted to get his way. Only rather than a little boy who might throw a tantrum, there was a genuine warning in his tone: a promise that even if I said no, he’d try like hell to make me. And maybe, despite my best efforts, I wouldn’t find it in me to resist his demands. Still, knowing this, I lifted my chin and said, “No.” Nicholas’s gaze intensified, a fire burning behind those amber eyes. Without warning, he advanced on me, and I had no choice but to step back slightly, my back hitting the cold wall. He pressed me against it, his hands resting on either side of me, effectively trapping me. The chill from the wall seeped through my dress and sent a shiver up my spine, but the warmth of his breath against my skin set me on fire yet again. Dammit, I thought as I felt my knees begin to quake. He knew exactly what he was doing, the effect it had on me. I felt powerless with his warm body towering over me. Still, I somehow managed to maintain a composed front, even forcing a mocking smile. “You think you can bully me into leaving my home?” “How can I be bullying you if you clearly like it?” he murmured, his face mere inches from mine—so close I could kiss him, taste him. “Besides, it’s only temporary, right? Once I decide we’re done, you can go home.” “And what if you decide you don’t want to be ‘done’ with me?” I challenged, lifting my chin defiantly. Of course, no matter how much I hated him right now, the wicked little thought of being held captive in the home of such an entrancing beast made my heart flutter. But I couldn’t bear seeing the smug satisfaction on his face if he found that out. His eyes flickered down to my lips before returning to meet my gaze. “Don’t test me.” As he spoke, he loosed a breath and moved closer, his body pressing against mine. I instinctively moved my arm to shield my chest, if only to hide the way my heart was hammering at our proximity. But before I could, Nicholas reached out and grabbed my wrist, pressing it into the stone wall. My breath caught as our bodies pressed up against one another. I looked up into his golden eyes, uncertain of what he was thinking or what he would do next. All I could seem to think about was how his tongue might feel swirling around mine right now, and that infuriated me even more. Was I even in control of my own body and mind anymore, or was this prick turning me into his thrall? “I truly believe, Miss Kayla,” he said softly, so softly that his warm breath caressed my ear and made me shiver again, “that you understand who this deal benefits the most and who the real boss is.” I clenched my jaw, my fist tightening. I understood very well. Nicholas was far more powerful than Liam and Isabella combined. Even without a Luna, he had managed to defeat Liam in battle once and take the Alpha position of Nightshade Pack, which was why Liam was so bent on marrying me and taking over Bluemoon. Nicholas didn’t actually need me. He could have told off all the Elders and the guild alike, and he still could have had Nightshade to himself. Or he could have picked a random girl from the crowd, someone who might really only want shopping trips and sportscars, to be his Luna. So why insist on taking me as his Luna, and caging me within his arms like a prize? Not only the woman who was supposed to marry his half-brother just yesterday, but who also fought him on every little thing? What a beast, I thought wryly, my heart hammering just at the thought of such a word. A gentleman on one hand, but a beast on the other. I couldn’t decide which side of him I preferred. Maybe both. And maybe he picked me because there was a little bit of beastliness in me, too, and he knew that very well. Finally, I barely managed to choke out, “You want me to submit to you, but that will never happen.” Nicholas’s lips curved into a sly smile. “I never asked you to submit,” he whispered, his finger trailing across the inside of my wrist, right along my blue vein. Under his touch, a jolt ran through my arm, electrifying and unwelcome. I hated that my body was responding to him, and he was clearly just pushing me up against the wall to taunt me, to prove that I was attracted to him and that all he had to do to get whatever he wanted was use his body against me. And he was right. I was wholly, inconceivably attracted to him; it was as if a little movie reel was playing at the back of my mind, showing me images of what he could do to me right here in this room. Which table to throw me over, which chair to take me on… I tried to push those thoughts away, but it was useless. Maybe my body really wasn’t my own anymore. Finally, my fist loosened slightly. “Fine,” I conceded through gritted teeth. “I’ll move in. But don’t expect me to play house with you.” Satisfied, he released my wrist, his fingers brushing lightly against my skin one last time. Even that small touch felt like a taser had gone off, and when he was gone, the absence of his warmth left me feeling bereft. “Pleasure doing business with you,” he said smoothly. The fucker sketched a bow at me before turning on his heel. He slipped out of the room without another word, the door clicking shut behind him. It was then I realized my legs were trembling, not with fear or anger, but with utter, complete, impossibly intoxicating arousal.